atholic ational ibrary

Catholic National Library

The Catholic National Library, or Catholic Central Library as it was known, is one of the finest collections of Catholic books in England. It lived for many years with the Franciscans of the Atonement behind Westminster Cathedral until the friars themselves withdrew some years ago. For six years much of the library was housed in an Anglican church hall near Euston Station until the parish there needed the premises. When a promising offer of new premises in Bloomsbury emerged, it was hoped that that the library might be saved, but when these hopes were dashed, the entire 70,000 volumes (this does not include the periodicals) were put into storage in boxes.

The Abbey was approached by the NCL Trustees, and we were asked if we could help. Our first thoughts concerned the impact that a public library might have on our way of life in general and our enclosure in particular, but the disused basement of the monastery seemed to supply a solution satisfactory to everyone.

It was originally the private collection of William Reed Lewis, a wealthy American living in Box Hill. During the First World War he lent books to American Soldiers and then sold his collection to the Catholic Truth Society. In 1959, the Friars of the Atonement took responsibility for it until their own financial difficulties forced their withdrawal and the future of the library looked bleak indeed. When it eventually seemed that all was lost, and that the Library could not possibly continue, members of the Catholic Writers’ Guild intervened with the late Cardinal Hume. They established a charitable trust to work for the preservation and advancement of the library and managed to secure premises in London. The difficulty of finding suitable premises and of raising the large amounts of money necessary for such a large space in London led to the library being housed on two sites in church halls. Mrs Joan Bond, the indefatigable librarian, would find herself crossing London by bus to seek out the relevant box containing the required volume for a reader.

The library, a tremendous national asset, will be housed by the Abbey for a three year probationary period. Should this prove to be mutually satisfactory, then the Trustees of the Library and those of the Abbey will consider a closer cooperation on a permanent basis.

For further information or comments please contact info@farnboroughabbey.org